International Patent Application Fee Payment Deadline Extension... International Cooperation Measures

PCT International Patent Application Status Data. Provided by the Korean Intellectual Property Office

[Asia Economy (Daejeon) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] Until the end of this year, the payment period for fees such as international patent application fees under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) will be deferred for 2 months from the application date.

The Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) announced on the 17th that if the international patent application fees are not fully paid within the deadline, the surcharge (50% of the unpaid fees) for payment within the correction period (1 month) will be waived.

Currently, international application fees, transmittal fees, and search fees must be paid within 1 month after the international application, and if this period is exceeded, payment must be made including the surcharge during the correction period (1 month).

Furthermore, if payment is not made within the correction period, the corresponding PCT international application is considered withdrawn.

However, until the end of this year, KIPO explained that applicants will be able to pay the normal fees without surcharge within 2 months after filing the international patent application, thereby reducing the economic burden on applicants.

This measure is part of international cooperation promoted as a response to COVID-19, discussed during a remote meeting on the 20th of last month between the heads of 16 major patent offices worldwide including Korea and Francis Gurry, Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).

This measure will be temporarily applied to PCT international applications filed through KIPO until the end of this year, and the possibility of extension will be reviewed considering the future domestic and international COVID-19 spread trends, international application trends, and the economic situation of domestic companies.

Meanwhile, despite the impact of COVID-19, international patent applications filed with KIPO until April this year increased by 12.6% compared to the same period last year, and KIPO expects that the effect of deferring the payment period through surcharge exemption will be significant.

Park Won-joo, Commissioner of KIPO, said, “The deferral of the payment period for international patent application fees is a measure taken in the spirit of international cooperation to ensure that COVID-19 does not hinder international patent applications,” adding, “KIPO will continue to spare no support for securing overseas patents for our companies.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.